{"id":23173,"date":"2016-05-28T22:03:22","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T02:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/?p=23173"},"modified":"2016-05-28T22:03:22","modified_gmt":"2016-05-29T02:03:22","slug":"pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/","title":{"rendered":"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania)."},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been stuck and working in Brasov for almost 3 weeks in miserable weather with little to no time to explore and photograph the area.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t for naught as I was gathering information from locals in places that might fly under the radar as a tourist destination (at least for Americans).\u00a0 Monica, a soft-spoken receptionist at the hostel I\u2019m staying at (Kismet Dao) suggested I contact her friend who knows places, Cornelius<\/a>.\u00a0 So when I got a message from Cornelius that there\u2019s a massive Catholic Pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc in Harghita County, I couldn\u2019t resist but jump on a train and have the opportunity to witness and discover a pilgrimage in a place I\u2019ve never heard of.<\/p>\n

The train ride from Brasov Miercurea-Ciuc took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \u00a0I was invited to stay Cornelius\u2019 apartment which was a communist-era building from the eighties.\u00a0 Walking around town, you can\u2019t help but notice the stark contrast of the architecture.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see \u00a0old buildings mixed in with soviet era apartments.
\n\"Franciscan<\/a><\/p>\n

Franciscan Monastery<\/p>\n

After a quick tour of the town square, we met with Cornelius\u2019 friend Eva, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, for dinner at San Gennaro Pizzeria.\u00a0 Right off the bat, she proudly proclaimed that she\u2019s Hungarian. \u00a0The pride in her voice echoes a connotation that deserves mention.<\/p>\n

\n

\"San<\/a><\/p>\n

San Gennaro Pizzeria<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Harghita County sits in what used to be the extent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania.\u00a0 After WWI, the empire started to disintegrate and the nationalities within wanted to proclaim their independence.\u00a0 The\u00a0Treaty of Versailles\u00a0placed Transylvania under the sovereignty of Romania.\u00a0 However during Nazi era, on August 1940, the second Vienna Award granted the northern half of Transylvania to Hungary but at the end of WWII, the territory was again returned to Romania.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Hungarian<\/a><\/p>\n

Hungarian Flag<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The history here is deep and full of intrigue and probably enough to spin your head around in circles 6 times if you\u2019re not into history. \u00a0\u00a0It seems like a place ripe for conflict but that\u2019s not what I\u2019ve observed. \u00a0Inter-cultural tolerance seems to be what\u2019s prevalent and I can sense this with my interactions with everyone I met in town.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3<\/a><\/p>\n

Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 Village (\u0218umuleu Ciuc) is a neighborhood of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. The Franciscan monastery of Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 was founded 1442.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 became a pilgrimage site in 1567 when a Hungarian King wanted to convert the Sz\u00e9kely population to Protestantism, the Sz\u00e9kelys resisted.\u00a0 A battle took place in a field nearby on Saturday prior to Pentecost 1567 and the Sz\u00e9kelys came out victorious.\u00a0 The monks saw this as a sign of a blessing from the Virgin Mary and ever since then became a pilgrimage site.<\/p>\n

Throughout the years, thousands of people from around the world, coming as far the United States and Australia, started to join the Harghita locals to pray for miracles and blessings from the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Even the president of Hungary,\u00a0J\u00e1nos \u00c1der, was there to make an appearance (2016).<\/p>\n

\n

\"Masses<\/a><\/p>\n

Masses In Sumuleu Ciuc<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The masses of people ascending up the hill and gathering in droves is amazing to behold. \u00a0I estimated somewhere between 100,000 \u2013 150,000 pilgrims making their way up the hill. \u00a0Cornelius told me that at one point, it was recorded that over 250,000 people showed up.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/a><\/p>\n

Pilgrims In Village<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Pilgrims start their journey from villages far as 55km away waving banners and flags that represent their villages as they continue their march towards a steep hill, called the \u201cWay of the Cross\u201d, to gather pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 The statue is purported to have caused hundreds of miracles and fulfilled wishes.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides its religious significance, the pilgrimage is communal event illustrating the spiritual unity of Hungarians living in\u00a0Transylvania.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Masses<\/p>\n

Masses Of Pilgrims<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/p>\n

Pilgrims Ascending Up The Hill<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The area is lush with rolling green hills where old villages can be seen over the horizon.\u00a0 It\u2019s also well known for its mineral springs and spas.\u00a0 There\u2019s a natural running mineral water source deep from within the earth that you can drink and purported to have health benefits. It tastes quite unique, like carbonated mineral water only with more iron.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/p>\n

Pilgrims Marching<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The pilgrimage is more or less a festival with various craftsmen and artisans selling Hungarian wares on the way. Several vendors are selling Hungarian dishes such as K\u00fcrt\u0151skal\u00e1cs, Goulash, Langos, and various cured and barbecued meats.\u00a0 Some hardcore pilgrims extend their stay by spending a night in the Church and some make their way to the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania. In fact, there\u2019s a special train, carrying pilgrims, that departs from Hungary to the last train station in Ghime\u0219, built by the Austro-Hungarian empire. \u00a0 Upon arrival, the pilgrims continue their walk towards the border for more celebration.<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0alwayswanderlust.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been stuck and working in Brasov for almost 3 weeks in miserable weather with little to no time to explore and photograph the area.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t for naught as I was gathering information from locals in places that might fly under the radar as a tourist destination (at least for Americans).\u00a0 Monica, a soft-spoken receptionist at the hostel I\u2019m staying at (Kismet Dao) suggested I contact her friend who knows places, Cornelius<\/a>.\u00a0 So when I got a message from Cornelius that there\u2019s a massive Catholic Pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc in Harghita County, I couldn\u2019t resist but jump on a train and have the opportunity to witness and discover a pilgrimage in a place I\u2019ve never heard of.<\/p>\n

The train ride from Brasov Miercurea-Ciuc took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \u00a0I was invited to stay Cornelius\u2019 apartment which was a communist-era building from the eighties.\u00a0 Walking around town, you can\u2019t help but notice the stark contrast of the architecture.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see \u00a0old buildings mixed in with soviet era apartments.
\n\"Franciscan<\/a><\/p>\n

Franciscan Monastery<\/p>\n

After a quick tour of the town square, we met with Cornelius\u2019 friend Eva, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, for dinner at San Gennaro Pizzeria.\u00a0 Right off the bat, she proudly proclaimed that she\u2019s Hungarian. \u00a0The pride in her voice echoes a connotation that deserves mention.<\/p>\n

\n

\"San<\/a><\/p>\n

San Gennaro Pizzeria<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Harghita County sits in what used to be the extent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania.\u00a0 After WWI, the empire started to disintegrate and the nationalities within wanted to proclaim their independence.\u00a0 The\u00a0Treaty of Versailles\u00a0placed Transylvania under the sovereignty of Romania.\u00a0 However during Nazi era, on August 1940, the second Vienna Award granted the northern half of Transylvania to Hungary but at the end of WWII, the territory was again returned to Romania.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Hungarian<\/a><\/p>\n

Hungarian Flag<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The history here is deep and full of intrigue and probably enough to spin your head around in circles 6 times if you\u2019re not into history. \u00a0\u00a0It seems like a place ripe for conflict but that\u2019s not what I\u2019ve observed. \u00a0Inter-cultural tolerance seems to be what\u2019s prevalent and I can sense this with my interactions with everyone I met in town.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3<\/a><\/p>\n

Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 Village (\u0218umuleu Ciuc) is a neighborhood of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. The Franciscan monastery of Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 was founded 1442.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 became a pilgrimage site in 1567 when a Hungarian King wanted to convert the Sz\u00e9kely population to Protestantism, the Sz\u00e9kelys resisted.\u00a0 A battle took place in a field nearby on Saturday prior to Pentecost 1567 and the Sz\u00e9kelys came out victorious.\u00a0 The monks saw this as a sign of a blessing from the Virgin Mary and ever since then became a pilgrimage site.<\/p>\n

Throughout the years, thousands of people from around the world, coming as far the United States and Australia, started to join the Harghita locals to pray for miracles and blessings from the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Even the president of Hungary,\u00a0J\u00e1nos \u00c1der, was there to make an appearance (2016).<\/p>\n

\n

\"Masses<\/a><\/p>\n

Masses In Sumuleu Ciuc<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The masses of people ascending up the hill and gathering in droves is amazing to behold. \u00a0I estimated somewhere between 100,000 \u2013 150,000 pilgrims making their way up the hill. \u00a0Cornelius told me that at one point, it was recorded that over 250,000 people showed up.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/a><\/p>\n

Pilgrims In Village<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Pilgrims start their journey from villages far as 55km away waving banners and flags that represent their villages as they continue their march towards a steep hill, called the \u201cWay of the Cross\u201d, to gather pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 The statue is purported to have caused hundreds of miracles and fulfilled wishes.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides its religious significance, the pilgrimage is communal event illustrating the spiritual unity of Hungarians living in\u00a0Transylvania.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Masses<\/p>\n

Masses Of Pilgrims<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/p>\n

Pilgrims Ascending Up The Hill<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The area is lush with rolling green hills where old villages can be seen over the horizon.\u00a0 It\u2019s also well known for its mineral springs and spas.\u00a0 There\u2019s a natural running mineral water source deep from within the earth that you can drink and purported to have health benefits. It tastes quite unique, like carbonated mineral water only with more iron.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Pilgrims<\/p>\n

Pilgrims Marching<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The pilgrimage is more or less a festival with various craftsmen and artisans selling Hungarian wares on the way. Several vendors are selling Hungarian dishes such as K\u00fcrt\u0151skal\u00e1cs, Goulash, Langos, and various cured and barbecued meats.\u00a0 Some hardcore pilgrims extend their stay by spending a night in the Church and some make their way to the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania. In fact, there\u2019s a special train, carrying pilgrims, that departs from Hungary to the last train station in Ghime\u0219, built by the Austro-Hungarian empire. \u00a0 Upon arrival, the pilgrims continue their walk towards the border for more celebration.<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0alwayswanderlust.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[166],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve been stuck and working in Brasov for almost 3 weeks in miserable weather with little to no time to explore and photograph the area.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t for naught as I was gathering information from locals in places that might fly under the radar as a tourist destination (at least for Americans).\u00a0 Monica, a soft-spoken receptionist at the hostel I\u2019m staying at (Kismet Dao) suggested I contact her friend who knows places, Cornelius.\u00a0 So when I got a message from Cornelius that there\u2019s a massive Catholic Pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc in Harghita County, I couldn\u2019t resist but jump on a train and have the opportunity to witness and discover a pilgrimage in a place I\u2019ve never heard of. The train ride from Brasov Miercurea-Ciuc took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \u00a0I was invited to stay Cornelius\u2019 apartment which was a communist-era building from the eighties.\u00a0 Walking around town, you can\u2019t help but notice the stark contrast of the architecture.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see \u00a0old buildings mixed in with soviet era apartments. Franciscan Monastery After a quick tour of the town square, we met with Cornelius\u2019 friend Eva, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, for dinner at San Gennaro Pizzeria.\u00a0 Right off the bat, she proudly proclaimed that she\u2019s Hungarian. \u00a0The pride in her voice echoes a connotation that deserves mention. San Gennaro Pizzeria Harghita County sits in what used to be the extent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania.\u00a0 After WWI, the empire started to disintegrate and the nationalities within wanted to proclaim their independence.\u00a0 The\u00a0Treaty of Versailles\u00a0placed Transylvania under the sovereignty of Romania.\u00a0 However during Nazi era, on August 1940, the second Vienna Award granted the northern half of Transylvania to Hungary but at the end of WWII, the territory was again returned to Romania. Hungarian Flag The history here is deep and full of intrigue and probably enough to spin your head around in circles 6 times if you\u2019re not into history. \u00a0\u00a0It seems like a place ripe for conflict but that\u2019s not what I\u2019ve observed. \u00a0Inter-cultural tolerance seems to be what\u2019s prevalent and I can sense this with my interactions with everyone I met in town. Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 Village (\u0218umuleu Ciuc) is a neighborhood of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. The Franciscan monastery of Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 was founded 1442. Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 became a pilgrimage site in 1567 when a Hungarian King wanted to convert the Sz\u00e9kely population to Protestantism, the Sz\u00e9kelys resisted.\u00a0 A battle took place in a field nearby on Saturday prior to Pentecost 1567 and the Sz\u00e9kelys came out victorious.\u00a0 The monks saw this as a sign of a blessing from the Virgin Mary and ever since then became a pilgrimage site. Throughout the years, thousands of people from around the world, coming as far the United States and Australia, started to join the Harghita locals to pray for miracles and blessings from the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Even the president of Hungary,\u00a0J\u00e1nos \u00c1der, was there to make an appearance (2016). Masses In Sumuleu Ciuc The masses of people ascending up the hill and gathering in droves is amazing to behold. \u00a0I estimated somewhere between 100,000 \u2013 150,000 pilgrims making their way up the hill. \u00a0Cornelius told me that at one point, it was recorded that over 250,000 people showed up. Pilgrims In Village Pilgrims start their journey from villages far as 55km away waving banners and flags that represent their villages as they continue their march towards a steep hill, called the \u201cWay of the Cross\u201d, to gather pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 The statue is purported to have caused hundreds of miracles and fulfilled wishes.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides its religious significance, the pilgrimage is communal event illustrating the spiritual unity of Hungarians living in\u00a0Transylvania. Masses Of Pilgrims   Pilgrims Ascending Up The Hill The area is lush with rolling green hills where old villages can be seen over the horizon.\u00a0 It\u2019s also well known for its mineral springs and spas.\u00a0 There\u2019s a natural running mineral water source deep from within the earth that you can drink and purported to have health benefits. It tastes quite unique, like carbonated mineral water only with more iron. Pilgrims Marching The pilgrimage is more or less a festival with various craftsmen and artisans selling Hungarian wares on the way. Several vendors are selling Hungarian dishes such as K\u00fcrt\u0151skal\u00e1cs, Goulash, Langos, and various cured and barbecued meats.\u00a0 Some hardcore pilgrims extend their stay by spending a night in the Church and some make their way to the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania. In fact, there\u2019s a special train, carrying pilgrims, that departs from Hungary to the last train station in Ghime\u0219, built by the Austro-Hungarian empire. \u00a0 Upon arrival, the pilgrims continue their walk towards the border for more celebration. Source:\u00a0alwayswanderlust.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BocskaiRadio\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BocskaiRadio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BocskaiRadio\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10edfc7ddc0e006131357c2bcb81b96b\"},\"headline\":\"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania).\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":822,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/05\\\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/\",\"name\":\"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/05\\\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/05\\\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/05\\\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":549},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\",\"description\":\"The Voice of Cleveland Hungarians\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/var3_basic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/var3_basic.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/BocskaiRadio\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/BocskaiRadio\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/bocskairadio\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/bocskairadio\",\"https:\\\/\\\/hu.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Bocskai_R\u00e1di\u00f3\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10edfc7ddc0e006131357c2bcb81b96b\",\"name\":\"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.bocskairadio.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/csibilori\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","og_description":"I\u2019ve been stuck and working in Brasov for almost 3 weeks in miserable weather with little to no time to explore and photograph the area.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t for naught as I was gathering information from locals in places that might fly under the radar as a tourist destination (at least for Americans).\u00a0 Monica, a soft-spoken receptionist at the hostel I\u2019m staying at (Kismet Dao) suggested I contact her friend who knows places, Cornelius.\u00a0 So when I got a message from Cornelius that there\u2019s a massive Catholic Pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc in Harghita County, I couldn\u2019t resist but jump on a train and have the opportunity to witness and discover a pilgrimage in a place I\u2019ve never heard of. The train ride from Brasov Miercurea-Ciuc took approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. \u00a0I was invited to stay Cornelius\u2019 apartment which was a communist-era building from the eighties.\u00a0 Walking around town, you can\u2019t help but notice the stark contrast of the architecture.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see \u00a0old buildings mixed in with soviet era apartments. Franciscan Monastery After a quick tour of the town square, we met with Cornelius\u2019 friend Eva, a beautiful woman with striking blue eyes, for dinner at San Gennaro Pizzeria.\u00a0 Right off the bat, she proudly proclaimed that she\u2019s Hungarian. \u00a0The pride in her voice echoes a connotation that deserves mention. San Gennaro Pizzeria Harghita County sits in what used to be the extent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania.\u00a0 After WWI, the empire started to disintegrate and the nationalities within wanted to proclaim their independence.\u00a0 The\u00a0Treaty of Versailles\u00a0placed Transylvania under the sovereignty of Romania.\u00a0 However during Nazi era, on August 1940, the second Vienna Award granted the northern half of Transylvania to Hungary but at the end of WWII, the territory was again returned to Romania. Hungarian Flag The history here is deep and full of intrigue and probably enough to spin your head around in circles 6 times if you\u2019re not into history. \u00a0\u00a0It seems like a place ripe for conflict but that\u2019s not what I\u2019ve observed. \u00a0Inter-cultural tolerance seems to be what\u2019s prevalent and I can sense this with my interactions with everyone I met in town. Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 Village (\u0218umuleu Ciuc) is a neighborhood of Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita County, Romania. The Franciscan monastery of Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 was founded 1442. Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 became a pilgrimage site in 1567 when a Hungarian King wanted to convert the Sz\u00e9kely population to Protestantism, the Sz\u00e9kelys resisted.\u00a0 A battle took place in a field nearby on Saturday prior to Pentecost 1567 and the Sz\u00e9kelys came out victorious.\u00a0 The monks saw this as a sign of a blessing from the Virgin Mary and ever since then became a pilgrimage site. Throughout the years, thousands of people from around the world, coming as far the United States and Australia, started to join the Harghita locals to pray for miracles and blessings from the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 Even the president of Hungary,\u00a0J\u00e1nos \u00c1der, was there to make an appearance (2016). Masses In Sumuleu Ciuc The masses of people ascending up the hill and gathering in droves is amazing to behold. \u00a0I estimated somewhere between 100,000 \u2013 150,000 pilgrims making their way up the hill. \u00a0Cornelius told me that at one point, it was recorded that over 250,000 people showed up. Pilgrims In Village Pilgrims start their journey from villages far as 55km away waving banners and flags that represent their villages as they continue their march towards a steep hill, called the \u201cWay of the Cross\u201d, to gather pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary.\u00a0 The statue is purported to have caused hundreds of miracles and fulfilled wishes.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides its religious significance, the pilgrimage is communal event illustrating the spiritual unity of Hungarians living in\u00a0Transylvania. Masses Of Pilgrims   Pilgrims Ascending Up The Hill The area is lush with rolling green hills where old villages can be seen over the horizon.\u00a0 It\u2019s also well known for its mineral springs and spas.\u00a0 There\u2019s a natural running mineral water source deep from within the earth that you can drink and purported to have health benefits. It tastes quite unique, like carbonated mineral water only with more iron. Pilgrims Marching The pilgrimage is more or less a festival with various craftsmen and artisans selling Hungarian wares on the way. Several vendors are selling Hungarian dishes such as K\u00fcrt\u0151skal\u00e1cs, Goulash, Langos, and various cured and barbecued meats.\u00a0 Some hardcore pilgrims extend their stay by spending a night in the Church and some make their way to the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania. In fact, there\u2019s a special train, carrying pilgrims, that departs from Hungary to the last train station in Ghime\u0219, built by the Austro-Hungarian empire. \u00a0 Upon arrival, the pilgrims continue their walk towards the border for more celebration. Source:\u00a0alwayswanderlust.com","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/","og_site_name":"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BocskaiRadio","article_published_time":"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":549,"url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BocskaiRadio","twitter_site":"@BocskaiRadio","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/"},"author":{"name":"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10edfc7ddc0e006131357c2bcb81b96b"},"headline":"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania).","datePublished":"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/"},"wordCount":822,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/","name":"A Pilgrimage in Harghita\u2019s Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3 (Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania). – Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg","datePublished":"2016-05-29T02:03:22+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/pilgrimage-harghitas-csiksomlyo-sumuleu-ciuc-romania\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Pilgrimage-in-Harghitas-Cs\u00edksomly\u00f3-Cover.jpg","width":768,"height":549},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/","name":"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","description":"The Voice of Cleveland Hungarians","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3","url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/var3_basic.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/var3_basic.jpg","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Bocskai R\u00e1di\u00f3"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BocskaiRadio","https:\/\/x.com\/BocskaiRadio","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bocskairadio\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/bocskairadio","https:\/\/hu.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bocskai_R\u00e1di\u00f3"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10edfc7ddc0e006131357c2bcb81b96b","name":"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d49f9198d2018a84ee306138a7a0466777b8f100435a4212859f16ba458f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Csibi Lor\u00e1nd"},"url":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/author\/csibilori\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocskairadio.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}